New Delhi: Joshna Chongtham, wife of Manipuri guitarist Chongtham Vikram Singh who died Monday following an assault allegedly by a group of men, has demanded a fair and impartial investigation into her husband’s death and urged authorities to hold all those responsible accountable under the law.
Condemning the “senseless and brutal” killing, Manipur chief minister Y Khemchand Singh said in Imphal that the incident was a painful reminder of the safety concerns faced by people from the Northeast living, studying and working in the national capital. Police said an investigation from all angles was being conducted. Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, who met the family Tuesday, said the killing was a “horrifying incident”, but had no racial angle. He appealed to opposition parties not to indulge in “dirty politics”. “All of Delhi stands with the bereaved family,” the East Delhi MP said. He said Delhi Police , which had already arrested all the accused, would present the chargesheet in court at the earliest. Malhotra also said Delhi govt would recommend that the case be tried expeditiously in a special court. Singh’s son, Yaiphaba, has told police that he was at home when he heard his father shouting. He told police that he had seen their faces and would be able to identify them.
In a letter to his Delhi counterpart, Rekha Gupta, Singh urged a fair, time-bound and high-level probe under senior police officers’ supervision, and the prosecution of the accused to the fullest extent of the law. On opening the door, he allegedly saw a group of men kicking and punching Singh. Yaiphaba raised an alarm, following which they fled.
On Sept 6, around 11.30pm, my husband went downstairs. 55-year-old Singh complained of breathlessness, following which the family rushed him to the emergency department of Holy Family Hospital, according to Joshna. “I have lost my husband and my son has lost his father.
Addressing a news conference in Chanakyapuri Tuesday, she said the family had been devastated by Singh’s death. He came running back upstairs, chased by eight men who beat him up before fleeing,” she said. “His blood pressure was found to be very low and, around 6am, he passed away.”
My husband was a peace-loving musician who lived a peaceful life.